Introduction / History

The Ramdasia are a caste of weavers. In the middle 1800s their Sikh society was starting to decay, and Hindu caste practices were starting to take over. Then in 1873, Guru Singh Sabha started a reform movement to turn Sikhism back to its spiritual roots. He taught then to get back to understanding Sikh concepts of equality, which motivated them to move out of their work as weavers. They began to drop their traditional weaving jobs and started to advance in other areas such as agriculture, industry, business, education, science and the military.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Today the Ramdasia people often have successful textile businesses. They have a strong desire not to move backwards economically as a community, so they have a strong accountability structure.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Sikhism originated from a 15th century teacher named Guru Nanak Dev as a reform movement. He rejected the Hindu caste system, taught that all people were equal and that all have equal access to God. The Sikh God is formless, without gender and is to be found in everyone. One gets closer to God by living a good life and by practicing charity. Like Hindus, Sikhs believe in reincarnation and the law of karma; you reap what you sow in your previous life. Like Muslims, the Sikhs worship only one God.
One may recognize a Sikh man by his distinctive turban. All the 10 great Sikh gurus wore turbans. Sikh teaching mandates that a person not cut his or her hair. They worship their holy book, the Granth Sahib, which is a collection of hymns.
There are roughly the same number of Sikhs as there are Jews in the world, but Sikhs are most concentrated in Punjab, their homeland. However, you will find smaller numbers of Sikhs all over the world. Many of the best Indian restaurants in the West are owned and operated by Sikhs.

What Are Their Needs?

The Ramdasia community is doing well economically, but not spiritually. No one can be free from sin without accepting the loving kindness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer Points

Pray that the Ramdasia Sikhs will hear God's word, accept it, and enter the Kingdom of God, knowing that he created us to be equal in his eyes.
Pray for many loving and dedicated workers to go to the Ramdasia community with the life-changing gospel.

Scripture Prayers for the Ramdasia (Sikh traditions) in India.